Trouser cuff shaper



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TROUSER CUFF SHAPER Filed Aug. 19, 1949 INVENTOR. Samuel Schuse Patented Nov. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT orifice 3 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in devices for shaping or spreading the cuffs of trousers.

In regular clothing retail stores, when a customer comes in to buy a suit, the trousers cuffs are not nished because of the different leg lengths of the customers, so that after a person has selected a suit, the trousers lengths have to be adjusted and the cuffs finished and pressed. In order to enable the operator to easily and quickly shape and spread the finished culi for pressing, this device was invented.

In brief and general terms, the invention comprises a housing within which are disposed two slidable plates having fingers to be projected into the trousers and handles to be manipulated to spread the plates when the device is thus inserted, so that the fingers will expand and spread the cuff of the trousers to permit them t be shaped and properly pressed. Means are pro-- vided to automatically latch the plates in any spread position and manual means is provided to release the plates and cause them to spring back to normal inoperative position by the mere pressure of the finger on a releasing device.

The present preferred form which theinvention may assume is illustrated in the drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a pair of trousers with the shaper in operative position with respect thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device with the front casing plate removed;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the two cuff spreading elements;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal cross section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the pivoted ratchet pawl-supporting plates; and,

Fig. 8 is a partial perspective view of the adjacent ends of said pawl-supporting plates.

Referring now merely to the specific preferred form of the invention shown in the drawings, it is noted that the device includes a housing formed of a front plate I0 and a rear plate II fixedly connected by rivets I2 and I3. Disposed adjacent the front plate l0 is a slidable plate I4 having an upwardly extending trouser engaging finger I5 and a dependent hand-operated bar I6. Disposed adjacent the rear plate II, is a similar slidable plate Il having an upwardly extending trouser engaging finger I8 and a dependent handoperated bar I9. These two plates are connected by a spring 20 which tends to always pull them together.

The slide plate Mis provided with aslot 2I in which rides the rivet I3, a slot 22 in which rides the rivet I2, and a slot 23 the lower surface of which is provided with ratchet teeth 24. The slide plate Il is provided with similar slots similarly constructed and numerated 2l', 22', 23', and 2li.

Disposed between the slide plates I4 and I1 are two pivoted plates 25 and 26, pivoted on the rivets l2 and I3, and having on their closely adjacent ends the oppostely extending pawls 2l and 28, which are adapted t0 engage the respective teeth on the racks 24 and 24. A spring 29 connects adjacent portions of these pawl plates to tend to swing them downwardly to press the pawls into engagement with the ratchet teeth 24 and 24'., as shown in Figure 7.

The adjacent faces of these pivoted pawl plates are provided with downwardly-facing shoulders 30 and 3 I, and releasing latch bar 32 has an upper end which is adapted to be pushed upwardly to engage said shoulders and pivot the plates 25 and 26 around their pivot points to lift them and release the pawls 21 and 28 from the teeth 24 and 24', so that the spring 20 may pull the slide plates I4 and II together. This latch bar 32 extends upward through the bottom flanges 33 of the casing plates I0 and I l, and has a lower head 34 to be engaged by the finger of the operator to press the bar upward to release the pawls from the teeth and unlatch the plates I and I1. A spring 35 is disposed between the head 34 and the bottom of the flanges 33, so as t0 constantly urge the bar 32 downwardly.

yOperation of the device With the parts in the position shown in Figure 2, it is apparent that the fingers I5 and I8 are in the inoperative position. When the handles I6 and I9 are grasped and pressed together, the fingers I5 and I8 are spread apart against the resistance of the spring 20. The racks on these slide plates I4 and I7 are automatically engaged by the pawls 21 and 23 on the pivoted plates 25 and 26, so that as the handles I6 and I9 are pulled closer together they are latched in position progressively and automatically as the handle bars are pressed. When the ngers of the slide plates have engaged within the trousers and spread them as desired, the pressure on the handles is stopped and the device holds the parts in their operative position. When it is desired to release the mechanism, it is merely necessary to press up on the head 34 on the lower end of the release bar 32 to swing the pawl plates upward and lift the pawls away from the racks, and thereby permit the spring 2U to restore the slide plates to their normal inoperative position.

It is obviously an extremely simple matter to insert the lingers Within the cuir of a pair of trousers, then press together the handle members until the required spreading of the cuff is achieved and then leave the parts in their automatically latched position. To release the device from the trousers cuilc it is merely necessary to press the nnger upward on the head 34 and the parts immediately snap back in released position, as shown and described.

While the invention has been described in detail and with respect to the preferred form shown extending ngers to be inserted into the cui end of a trouser leg, spring means connecting the plates tending to keep them in a normal retracted inoperative position, rack elements on said plates, pawl means to engage said rack elements and hold the plates in any extended position, means tending to hold the pawl means in engagement with the racks, and manual means operable at will to release the pawl means from the rack elements and allow the spring to restore the plates to normal inoperative position.

2. A trousers cuff spreader which comprises a housing, a pair of slide plates therein having extending ngers to be inserted into the cuEE end of a trouser leg, spring means connecting the plates tending to keep them in a normal retracted inoperative position, rack elements on said plates, a pair of pivoted plates having pawls thereon to engage and hold the slide plates in any extended position, a spring connecting the pawl plates tending to press the pawls into engagement with the rack elements, and manual means to move the pivoted pawl plates against the action of their spring to release the pawls from the rack elements and allow the slide plates to return to normal inoperative position.

3. A trousers cuff spreader which comprises a housing, a pair of slide plates disposed against the adjacent front and rear walls of the housing and having fingers extending outwardly therefrom to be inserted into the culi end of a trouser leg, a spring connected between the slide plates and tending to keep them in a normal retracted inoperative position, rack elements on said slide plates, a pair of aligned pivoted plates disposed between the slide plates and having dependent pawls thereon to engage the respective rack elements and hold the slide plates in any extended position, a spring connecting the pivoted pawlcarrying plates and tending to press the pawls into engagement with the rack elements, a release bar disposed to engage the free ends of the pivoted plates when operated, a spring engaging the release bar to hold it in retracted position, and a head on said bar to be engaged by the finger of the operator to press it into contact with the free ends of said pivoted plates to release the pawls from the rack elements and allow the spring connecting the slide plates to restore them to normal inoperative position.

SAMUEL SCHSSEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,670,938 Printz May 22, 1928 2,461,381 Henderson Feb. 8, 1949 

